


under a paper moon

by nascar



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Hunters, Blood and Injury, Fluff, Kissing, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-07-21
Packaged: 2019-06-14 05:02:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15381231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nascar/pseuds/nascar
Summary: "why are you acting donghyuck?"the monster eyes the gun with an interest."do you forget that i'm in your boyfriend's head? i can see everything."





	under a paper moon

**Author's Note:**

> i rlly didn't check for mistakes so sorry if there's any

 

to most teens, the prospect of spending your saturday night searching an abandoned children's hospital for a kid eating monster isn't exactly high on the list for hang out ideas.

for mark and donghyuck however, it's the norm.

when you come from families of century long supernatural hunting, there's little you can do to avoid the inevitable years of training and field experience.

field experience being namely that of hunting and slaying nightmares, ghosts, cryptids and anything else the night leant to morning found atrocities.

somewhere amongst the hours of weapons training and mornings on rooftops, the two boys had become closer over the years. if that was possible even; ever since they were babies their parents had basically raised them from the same crib.

of course they were also close with their other friends jeno, jaemin, and renjun who'd all been training together since they could hold a knife. but there was something different about mark and donghyuck.

mark had found a somber warmth in the younger boy, a gentle ebbing of sunny smiles and airy laughs.

for donghyuck, mark was a life line. when donghyuck's father died in a vampire raid he was left to his own devices as his mother grieved. mrs lee was a well known witch among hunters, one of the few good ones with good advice and cheap remedies.

donghyuck had picked up something from her lineage. he saw it as a burden most of the time and it'd been hard to make friends because of it.

he could read minds. or at least to an extent. if he happened to touch someone with his bare hands it was likely his head would ring with the jumbled mess of someone else's mind.

it was bothersome and disorienting.

not to mention annoyingly invasive. after a few embarrassing instances, donghyuck had taken to wearing a pair of dark latex gloves.

mark though, mark hadn't minded. in fact, when they'd been alone mark would often whisper a soft ' _gloves off_ ' and when donghyuck's hands were bare and open, he'd slide their fingers together and allow the trickle of his thoughts to mingle in with the usual static of donghyuck's own mind.

it was probably from this that the two had become uncontrollably close over the years, melding into something more tender, softer than friendship.

it's also under these circumstances that they are, in fact, monster hunting for a child murdering thing inside a decrepit, expansive building.

after realizing that the hospital floor plan is too huge to possibly travel as one unit they decide it's perhaps better if they split ways for a little bit and meet back up at the entrance in twenty minutes.

it's a solid plan but it makes mark uneasy, he's never liked the thought of letting his boyfriend do things like this on his own.

"i'll be fine," hyuck reassures him with a soft smile, it catches the sliver of moonlight spilling in from a crack in the roof and mark thinks he looks like an angel.

mark tuts in disappointment but he know's donghyuck is right. he usually is.

instead of arguing he pulls donghyuck closer with a gentle grip and presses a sweet kiss to his mouth.

"be careful," he mumbles against the younger's lips and hyuck pulls him in for another one instead of answering.

mark has to pull him away with a giggly breath, knowing full and well that donghyuck will just ignore their mission and happily kiss mark for the rest of the night if he could.

there's one last squeeze of their hands and another short kiss to donghyuck's forehead, and just like that they're split up.

 

  
it's been about ten minutes since he's parted ways with his boyfriend when mark hears shuffling footsteps.

"hyuck?"

his voice sounds unfocused and disembodied in the open hall.

the noises continue, this time a little closer.

"hyuck, baby c'mon."

there's no answer.

mark grips his gun with a renewed anxiety.

he isn't alone and whatever is in here isn't his boyfriend.

donghyuck loves to play pranks but not on missions, never on missions.

there's a shuffling to his right and he whips around, pointing his flashlight in the direction of the noise.

he gasps when he sees the source.

there's a young boy, about four feet tall. his hair falls over his forehead in silky curls, framing his eyes, wide and glossy.

"what are you doing here?" mark asks dumbly, moving closer, lowering his gun as not to threaten the kid.

he's probably already scared enough, lost and alone in the middle of a strange dark labyrinth.

the kid mumbles something in a sweetened kind of saccharine voice.

"what?" mark asks, crouching down in front of him.

then the kid's head snaps up to stare into mark's eyes with an intensity that's startling.

there's something off about his eyes, they're glassy, unsettling.

this time he doesn't miss what the kid says.

"hungry."

 

when mark meets back up with donghyuck he doesn't offer much but a quick "all clear." and falls in behind donghyuck with a shrug. his gun isn't in his hand but donghyuck thinks better than to ask about it.

they continue like that for a while, donghyuck leading and mark following, mapping out the maze of corridors and shuffling over messy floors.

mark still doesn't say much but donghyuck doesn't question him, if he didn't feel like talking donghyuck won't force him. it isn't like there's much to talk about anyways.

after a while donghyuck stops abruptly when they come to a dead end. there's nothing particularly different about this one other than a boarded up window that leaks a bit of light into the space.

when he stops his hand brushes with mark's and something odd runs through donghyuck rather than the usual comforting lull of mark's mind.

the younger assumes it must just be the nerves of the mission, but then mark is backing away from him.

then mark is pulling his hand back as if he'd been burned.

mark doesn't flinch at donghyuck's touch.

the quietness donghyuck can excuse, the lack of gun in his hand, donghyuck can excuse, the burbling mind donghyuck can excuse. flinching at donghyuck's touch? that isn't mark.

a chill runs up donghyuck's spine. something was off.

when he turns around mark hasn't moved an inch. donghyuck wants desperately to reach out to him but something stops him. donghyuck searches his boyfriend's face in the dark for something. then his breath freezes in his lungs when he sees it- there, a twitch of something under the palor of mark's skin.

mark stares back at him owlishly.

"what donghyuck?"

the younger boy flinches.

mark doesn't call him donghyuck.

the same spot twitches again, this time a bit more violently.

muscle spasms. he remembers learning about them in training. donghyuck suddenly feels a wave of dread and sickness rush over him.

why hadn't he noticed the odd stretch of mark's skin earlier? the sickly dew it shimmered with.

donghyuck takes a careful step backwards.

muscle spasms were the tell, they always were. donghyuck remembered from the first time he'd hunted them. skin walkers.

donghyuck raises his gun in a shaky fist, swallowing hard.

"you aren't mark," he says slowly. his words echo in the hallway, reverberating eerily.

the boy in front of him gawks at donghyuck's words.

"donghyuck what are you talking about? have you gone crazy?"

donghyuck takes a second step back, settling the weight of the gun against his palm, pressing it to his pulse for clarity.

"cut it out. mark doesn't call me that."

'mark' stares at him for a moment longer, surprise still in his eyes until donghyuck cocks the gun.

at the noise, the look on mark's face melts away and is replaced by a mirthful smirk. the expression the skin walker contorts mark's face into is foreign and donghyuck hates it.

the next noise that break's through the quiet hallway is a laugh. not mark's usual stupid hiccupy one that bubbles from his chest and shakes his shoulders. it's cold and sharp and it makes donghyuck think about how wrong it sounds coming from mark.

"oh you're _clever_ ," the skin walker snarks, taking a step towards donghyuck. "clever, clever boy."

the next step donghyuck takes backwards brings him back-to-wall and he swallows, ignoring the nausea creeping into his stomach and straightens his arm.

"i'll shoot." donghyuck warns. his voice comes out steelier than he thought he was capable of.

the skin walker stops his advance and cocks an eyebrow at donghyuck. another harsh laugh comes out this time. it's creepy and unnatural and donghyuck has to force himself to shut out emotions. it's just another mission. he's done this before, just because this thing is wearing mark's face doesn't mean donghyuck isn't capable of killing it.

"are you sure about that _hyuckie_ ," the nickname comes out condescending and donghyuck tries not to wince. "how else are you going to find your lover boy? this place is a maze. he'd suffocate before you found him."

donghyuck clenches his jaw at the words. the creature was right.

"i think i'll manage." is what donghyuck tells the thing. he sounds sure, he doesn't feel sure.

"clever _and_ confident," the monster chuckles out.

instead of taking the bait, donghyuck cocks his head and straightens his posture just like his mother had taught him.

"why are you acting donghyuck?"

the monster eyes the gun with an interest.

"do you forget that i'm in your boyfriend's head? i can see everything."

donghyuck replays jaemin's voice from training over and over. _don't let them in your head hyuck. don't let them._

"i can see everything he's ever thought about you," the skin walker presses a finger to mark's temple. "every second he's ever spent with you, every touch he's felt from you." his lips curve up into a demented version of mark's usual smile.

"shut up." donghyuck snaps.

the moon light filters through the boarded up window and casts a jagged shadow over mark's face.

"what if i told you," he whispers harshly. "that not all of these thoughts are good ones."

donghyuck swallows. don't let them in your head.

"what if i told you that he lies."

don't let them in your head.

"what if i told you that he doesn't love you."

don't let them in.

"what if i told you that he isn't even here, that he left you here to die."

don't let them inside.

"why are you fighting me for a boy that doesn't love you?"

mark's voice is so close donghyuck can feel his breath against his ear and he realizes he'd closed his eyes.

donghyuck's heart spikes and when his eyes snap open he comes eye to eye with something akin to shattered glass and there's something swimming under the brown of mark's irises. this isn't mark though.

he'd made a mistake.

donghyuck ducks barely in time to escape the blow that passes over his head and crashes into the boarded window.

an explosion of moonlight fills the corridor.

the light is disorienting and a hand grips at donghyuck's forearm, pinning him to the wall before he can grab ahold of his bearings.

the pain is bruising and the gun he held clatters to the floor.

okay that was enough.

the skin walker's skin was on his, he was close enough to reach into the monster's mind. he searched for mark frantically before the creature could realize what the hunter was doing.

he skimmed over darkened memories of children screaming and the terror of cowering women. the memories are horrible and donghyuck almost wants to pull away but then he finds it. mark. he sees the room the skin walker had taken him to, following the darkened maze of the hospital. he found mark.

 _gotcha_.

the skin walker rips his hand away with an inhuman howl.

"witch!" he wails and donghyuck grins.

now it's getting interesting.

"bet you didn't see that in mark's head did you?" donghyuck can't help but sneer.

when the skin walker swings this time donghyuck is ready, he slides under the lean arm and pops up behind the creature, slamming the butt of his elbow into it's back.

donghyuck takes the moment of the monster's staggering panic to retrieve the knife from under his jacket collar.

he'd always preferred knives to guns. they were more fun, more personal.

when the skin walker rears to face donghyuck, the younger boy almost hesitates at the image of mark's face but steels himself.

this time the monster reaches for donghyuck with both arms and donghyuck sucks in a breath and parries away the reaching limbs with a stinging slash.

the noise that escapes the monster is stuck between a hiss and an enraged gurgling noise.

donghyuck thinks it sounds kind of funny.

he uses the sight of the black blood on his knife handle to ground him. this is a monster. not mark. a monster that has eaten children. a monster that has kidnapped donghyuck's boyfriend.

the last thought fuels donghyuck's anger as he meets the skin walker's next advance with a deep slash across his chest, trailing from his collar and hooking under his ribs.

this isn't mark.

a demonic howl shakes the hallway and the hunter barely has time to roll out of the way before the monster is making a come back, snarky smile gone, replaced by a contorted expression smattered with inky blood and dark eyes.

when donghyuck resurfaces the skin walker catches him by the ribs and the boy finds himself being slammed into a wall. he ignores the painful crunch of his ribs and resists the urge to whine.

he needed to do this. for mark.

he doesn't move fast enough this time and is thrown to the ground. his ribs burn something awful and there's a tinge of iron on his tongue.

to his left he sees the gun he'd dropped earlier, half buried in newspaper and leafs that'd been scattered during the scuffle.

a noise of contempt alerts donghyuck to the next attack and his rolls to the side, narrowly missing the elongated claws the monster has conveniently procured.

there's a snap as the talons splinter against the floor and donghyuck finally grasps the handle of the gun, cocking and reloading just in time to roll onto his back, coming face to face with the creature.

he doesn't hesitate this time when he sees mark's face. instead he shoots.

once.

twice.

three times.

a thick smattering of black slashes over donghyuck's jacket and splats against the ceiling like a gruesome splatter painting.

the skin walker grunts and flies backwards, landing in an unmoving heap.

donghyuck shoots him a fourth time just for good measure, relishing in the limp jerk of the body.

dead. it was dead.

donghyuck stands shakily, holding his burning ribs. he watches as the pile of limbs and guts dissolves into a translucent putty. it's gross but it also brings a sort of settling closure. like _don't worry hyuck! you just killed a child eating monster and didn't just shoot your boyfriend to death._

with steady hands donghyuck flips through his pockets until he find the bag of salt his mother had insisted he'd bring with him.

he undoes the drawstring and steps forward, upending the contents of the bag over the mess of supernatural sludge.

he waits for the goo to simmer and sink until the floor until nothing remained but a grease stain.

"good fucking riddance," donghyuck breaths into the air.

  
the jog through the maze of identical darkened hallways isn't a pleasant one. he tries not to dwell on the history of small bones littered over the floor, wincing guiltily every time something crunched under his shoes.

he remembers the path from his little trip through the skin walker's memories well. he lets his body guide him on auto pilot through the hospital.

when he finally comes to the doorway he'd seen in the monster's mind he doesn't hesitate before ducking in. the darkness is engulfing and the air was cool and damp against his nose.

his chest is heaving, half from the need to find mark and half from jogging the labyrinth.

the smell is awful, like vomit and rotting flesh.

donghyuck tries to focus on mark instead of the acrid scent. tries to imagine mark's usual smell of lavender and chamomile instead. the thought makes his chest ache with longing.

he fumbles in his back pocket for a flashlight.

"mark?" he calls out, voice reedy and reverberating in the room.

he flicks on his light, making sure to keep his gun pressed into his opposite palm just in case.

when the room is illuminated donghyuck catches his breath.

the wall's are encased in a mucous like membrane. there's the unmistakable forms of bones visible under the gooey substance.

donghyuck holds his breath, whipping around wildly searching for a familiar green windbreaker under the encasement.

he can't wait any longer he needs mark now, he has to be in here.

there, he sees him, a dark green blur under the whitish blue.

donghyuck drops his gun (again) and rushes forward, knife already bouncing in his palm. he stabs into the layer and finds it gives way easily under the bronze of his knife.

he peels it back frantically, not giving any mind to the way it slips between his fingers like snot.

then it's finally giving way and mark (the real mark) is falling forward into the younger's arms.

the older boy emits a choked gasp and clutches frantically at donghyuck's shirt.

his skin is cold and kind of slimy but donghyuck doesn't care.

"hyuck," mark wheezes. "there's- there's a-"

donghyuck hushes him gently, pulling his face away to cradle mark's face in his palms.

he can see a bit of mark's hair from the flashlight on the floor's illumination. it's sticking up funnily from gel coating the walls. it's endearing.

"i know," he tells the older boy, leaning in to press a kiss to his mouth (it's kind of gross and leaves a lemony taste on his lips but donghyuck doesn't really mind.)

the younger boy taps a thumb against the skin of mark's under eye with a rueful smile.

"i took care of him."

mark stares at him for a moment, or whatever the shadows leave of donghyuck's face to see anyways.

"god, that's so hot." mark says finally and donghyuck laughs.

"i could say the same about you mister booger hair," donghyuck laughs and mark whines.

"you ruined the moment."

"why are you trying to have a moment in a skin walker's lair?" donghyuck questions him, cocking his head to the side and the flashlight's light casts a generous glow over mark's disappointed pout.

a cold hand presses into the small of donghyuck's back, bringing him closer.

"thought maybe you'd like to try something new." his voice is low and husky, breath ghosting over the sensitive skin of his throat but donghyuck knows he's joking.

donghyuck slaps at his arm.

"mark lee don't make me shoot you twice today."

mark's eyes widen comically as he yelps. "what?"

  
later that night after a bath that consists of a whiny mark plus donghyuck having to use two bottles of shampoo to work the skin walker wall snot out of his boyfriend's hair, they find themselves curled up comfortably under a heavy duvet.

mark has to force donghyuck to recount his encounter with the skin walker, coaxing bits and pieces out of him until he has the full story.

mark's heart drops when donghyuck mentions what the skin walker had said.

he pulls donghyuck into his lap, careful not to move hyuck's bandaged ribs, peppering kisses and soft reassurances to his neck and jawline. donghyuck knows mark loves him but he enjoys the attention anyways.

"i love you so much," mark murmurs against the skin of donghyuck's throat.

donghyuck smiles and looks up at the ceiling. "i know."

"and i'd never leave you."

"i know."

"and we're never splitting up again."

"not likely."

mark nips at the younger boy's jawline playfully. "i'm never letting you out of my sight."

donghyuck laughs out an airy giggle.

"whatever you say mark."

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> i hate this but wanted to post something so here u go. sorry for the rushed ending uwu
> 
> comments + kudos are welcome!


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